© 1999 by Oxford University Press
Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 91, No. 1, 21,
January 6, 1999
© 1999 Oxford University Press
NEWS |
United States Plans Change in Population Standard for Age-Adjusting Death Rates
Beginning with deaths occurring in 1999, the U.S. government will change the population standard for age-adjusting death rates to the projected population of the Year 2000. The revised standard will be used by all agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, state health departments, and others.The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics has used the 1940 population as a standard, and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program has used the 1970 population. Altogether, DHHS agencies have been using three different standards.
National workshops have recommended the change to a single standard as a way of reducing confusion and misunderstanding among data users and the media. NCHS officials said that workshop participants felt that the choice of a population standard is arbitrary because trend comparisons and group differences tend to be similar regardless of the standard used, but many see the 1940 standard as grossly outdated.
Although there was no overriding statistical reason for choosing the Year 2000 population over other age distributions, participants considered it appropriate to choose a year that represents the current population and with which users would be comfortable with the choice.
The change means that death rates calculated earlier will not be comparable with rates calculated on the new standard and must be recomputed. Also, long-range health improvement efforts, such as "Healthy People," which have goals calculated as mortality rate reductions, will have to recalibrate the goals.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||